AI technology can be designed to
accomplish specialized intelligent tasks, such as speech or facial recognition,
or to emulate complex human-like intelligent behavior such as reasoning and
language processing. AI systems that are capable of interacting with and making
autonomous actions within their environment are called artificial intelligent
agents. An emerging application of AI technology in the mental healthcare field
is the use of artificial intelligent agents to provide training, consultation,
and treatment services. Researchers at the USC’s Institute for Creative
Technologies, for example, are currently developing virtual mental health
patients that converse with human trainees.
The continual advances of AI
technologies and their application in mental healthcare lead to a concept called
the ‘Super Clinician’. The ‘Super Clinician’ concept is an AI agent system that
could either be in the form of a virtual reality simulation or a humanoid
robot. The system design entails the integration of several advanced
technologies and capabilities, including natural language processing, computer
vision, facial recognition, olfactory sensors, and even thermal imaging to
detect temperature changes in patients. In the context of mental health care,
some questions that come to my mind are whether caring and empathetic
connections between humans and artificially intelligent care providers are
possible.
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